The Cleveland Guardians have the first pick in Sunday night’s MLB Draft, and while there seems to be consensus on who the most promising player is, it’s not quite so certain that Cleveland will actually take that player.
As baseball fans know, the MLB Draft differs from other leagues in that each team has a set amount of money they can spend on picks, and some choose to spend less on earlier picks in order to be able to spend more money later in the draft.
So even though Oklahoma State second baseman Travis Bazzana is the top prospect and the -200 favorite to go No. 1 at BetMGM, Cleveland could take a different route to save the record $10.5 million they can offer the No. 1 pick.
Odds for the number 1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft (BetMGM)
- Travis Bazzana (-200)
- JJ Wetherholt (+240)
- Charlie Condren (+500)
- Jac Caglianone (+2500)
- Chase Burns (+3000)
- Hagen Smith (+6000)
That’s exactly what some mock drafts are predicting, with West Virginia middle infielder JJ Wetherholt also being popular as a No. 1 pick because of his similar skills at the same position.
Florida first baseman and left-hander Jac Caglianone is also still in the running, according to MLB Pipeline. And Georgia hitter Charlie Condon may be the second-best player on the field.
Although it is very likely that Bazzana is not the right choice, there are still some surprisingly good candidates in this field.
